Product Description
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Lavish historical drama directed by Yimou Zhang. During the
latter days of the Tang Dynasty in 10th-century China, the
Emperor (Chow Yun-) returns home from war unexpectedly along
with his son Prince Jai (Jay Chou). But while the Empress (Gong
Li) is happy to see her son, her reception of her husband is less
cordial - their marriage has been an unhappy one for many years
and in the Emperor's absence she has taken her step-son, Crown
Prince Wan (Liu Ye) as a lover. In frustration, the Emperor
orders the Imperial doctor (Ni Dahong) to secretly drug the
Empress and render her insane. But the situation is further
complicated by the doctor's daughter, with whom the Crown Prince
secretly wishes to elope. As the family's entangled motives lead
inevitably towards violence and retribution, their youngest
member, Prince Yu (Qin Junjie), struggles to bring peace to the
royal household.
From .co.uk
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Chinese director Zhang Yimou ends his bid to outfly Crouching
Tiger, Hidden Dragon with Curse Of The Golden Flower, the third
in his Wuxia (the Chinese style of flying and fighting) films.
Much like Hero and House Of Flying Daggers, it is drenched in
colours so dazzling, and boasts action scenes so exhilarating,
that you can almost forgive any shortcomings in the story.
Almost. Despite its grandeur, this film is in many ways the least
rewarding of the three.
Set in Chinas tenth century Tang dynasty, the story sees Chow
Yun s emperor trying to poison his wife, a trussed-up and
progressively unstable Gong Li, who is having an affair with her
step-son Wan, and trying to manoeuvre her other son Jai against
his tyrannical her. Lets just say that it gets more
complicated from there on in, and involves lots of running
through endless corridors, but really, its best to just sit back
and let that intense visual style work its magic.
Swapping action for dramatic intrigue might have been Yimous
mistake, but theres no mistaking his knack for breath-taking
cinematography. Even if purely on a visual scale, Golden Flower
still manages to captivate, and the final battle scene is at
least worth the slightly overlong wait. Die hard fans of these
films might feel a bit stiffed, but everyone else wont be short
of eye candy. --Luke Mawson
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Synopsis
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In 2004, Zhang Yimou caused a sensation with his astonishing
House of Flying Daggers, and his Curse of the Golden Flower is
yet another dazzling, visually stunning film. Calling again upon
the talents of the striking Gong Li, Yimou tells an epic tale of
lust and power set in the opulent world of the Later Tang
dynasty. The plot follows the story of the Emperor (Chow Yun )
and his Empress (Li) and the tragic disintegration of their royal
family--whose problems go far beyond the merely dysfunctional.
For starters, the ailing Empress has long been having an affair
with her stepson, the Crown Prince Wan (Liu Ye). Unbeknownst to
her, Wan has been dallying with the Imperial Doctor's daughter
(Li Man), and has plans to escape the palace with her. Meanwhile,
the Emperor himself has just returned from a long trip, and while
relations with his wife are obviously icy, it becomes clear that
his plans for her are far more ominous than she could ever
imagine. Everyone involved has a secret plan for either escape or
domination, resulting in an explosive ending wherein the darkest
family secrets are revealed and horrifically bloody battles are
waged both inside and outside the walls of the sparkling,
gold-encrusted palace. Yimou appears to be trying to balance his
flair for telling an emotional story with his talent for
thrilling, detail-driven action sequences, and while Curse's plot
does at times seem close to that of a soap opera, the phenomenal
performances and breathtaking visuals are more than enough to
power the film forward. Fans of Yimou's quieter work (Riding
Along For Thousands of Miles) are likely to enjoy the dramatic
exploration of family relationships, while there are still plenty
of hissing ninjas to satisfy Daggers enthusiasts.
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